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With many gyms or boutique fitness studios being closed across the country because of COVID-19, more and more people are turning to improve their at-home gyms.
Many people have decided to buy a Peloton bike or a Mirror, but what about those who love mixing cardio and strength workouts? An at-home favorite for people who are looking for that specific workout mixture should check out indoor rowing.
Yet, even the most disciplined rowers can get bored from repeating the same actions over and over again. This is where the Hydrow rowing machine enters the scene.
What is Hydrow?
Hydrow is a piece of high-quality indoor rowing equipment that mixes in the old-school rowing style and new “smart” technology to keep your workouts interesting.
Like most smart gym equipment, it features a tablet that walks you through live or on-demand workouts that you have access to through a monthly subscription.
Here’s a quick look at the Hydrow in action:
Ready to learn more?
Hydrow Workouts
The Hydrow’s workouts specialize in creating a completely new experience for the traditional rower. Working through the exercises with a live trainer or an on-demand class can make for a much more engaging experience.
It can also allow you to keep mixing up your workouts (without you having to plan for what you’re trying to do that day!)
Hydrow’s on-demand workouts can give you more of a sense of “truly rowing” on a body of water because many of the classes take place on the water. This can help you forget that you’re working out at home and give you a sense of being transported to another location.
Hydrow Specs & Features
Hydrow features a 22- inch HD touchscreen monitor that sits at the front of the rowing machine. It connects to Wi-Fi for you to have access to your rowing machine classes. With the tablet’s size and its positioning on the machine, you can easily see the workouts and follow along.
The tablet also features speakers and is Bluetooth enabled, so if you don’t want to play the workout out loud, it’ll easily connect to your wireless headphones.
Is the Hydrow A Good Rowing Workout Experience?
Yes!
Not only does this machine come with the ability for you to use a fun membership to get in some great workouts, but it’s also just a high-quality piece of exercise equipment.
The ability to computer control the resistance on the Hydrow is exceptionally convenient and works seamlessly during your workout. Hydrow says that it uses commercial-grade components in each of its products, so when you’re rowing with it, you get a smooth experience (like you’re gliding across the water!)
The rowing doesn’t feel rickety at all, and with the quality of the parts the machine is made with, you can rest assured that it’ll perform well for years to come.
Is Their Rowing Machine Quiet?
Many traditional rowing machines make a lot of noise each time that you “row.” This can make for a pretty distracting workout. It’s also not ideal if you’re trying to listen to music/podcasts or you’re watching a show while working out.
Hydrow takes care of this central issue, though. Many users of the equipment review that even when they’re rowing at high speeds, they can’t hear the machine’s fan. Some reviews have even said that their breathing is louder than the machine’s noise!
The seat also doesn’t make much noise as it moves back and forth on its track. After using Hyrow for a long time, if you start to notice a difference in this, try adding a slight amount of WD40 to get the seat noise back down to its “brand new” state.
Storage Options: How to Store Your Hydrow with their Upright Storage Kit
Despite the amount of space you think the Hydrow would take up in your home if you’re short of space in your home or apartment, then Hydrow has a solution for you! You can purchase an upright storage kit so you can put the rowing machine into a vertical position in between uses. The system is an additional $69, but it utilizes a simple clip system that makes it easy enough where it wouldn’t be a pain to take the machine up and down every day.
The Hydrow also features wheels, so you can quickly move it around your home if you want to work out in a different physical location that day! (if you’re looking for a change of scenery, though, switch to another lake or river in Hydrow’s workout system.)
RELATED READING: Concept 2 or Hydrow?
Real Customer Testimonials
The Hydrow is a modern and quiet rowing machine that gives avid rowers a new experience from the usual gym equipment. You can feel completely immersed in the classes and can seem transported to another place. Some of the on-demand rowing-workouts are incredibly cool because they take place on famous waterways that you’ll quickly recognize.
The touchscreen is incredibly responsive, and even your sweat droplets won’t stop it from sensing your touch. You can get a full-body workout and not even realize how hard you’re working because the scenery looks like real places.
Whether you’re a new rower trying to get the gist of things or a more experienced rower, the Hydrow has classes for both. The touchscreen’s user interface is clean and straightforward to use, so you’ll easily be able to find the workout that best suits your lifestyle.
See more verified reviews at the Hydrow website.
Our Rating? We Highly Recommend Hydrow – Here’s Why:
Our review is that we’d give this indoor rowing machine a high rating. Whether you’re trying to strengthen your arms or build your cardio stamina, this machine is the one to help you do it. Attend a live class to see the instructor’s form and check out your own to make you’re getting the most out of your exercises. Or go to an on-demand activity to work on your fitness all by yourself!
Can You Use it Without a Subscription?
The subscription for Hydrow is $38 a month, which may seem a little pricey for a monthly membership, but it’s less than the Peloton bike (at $58/month) or Nordictrack at $39/month. The subscription will grant you access to hundreds of different rowing workouts. To appeal to even more people, the subscription also includes content like yoga workouts. You could easily do these next to your machine if you have ample space in your gym.
Hydrow’s Indoor Rowing Classes
The subscription also gives you access to immersive leaderboards that help you see how you line up against the competition. This can help create a sense of community as we’re all stuck working out at home. If you’re not into looking at the leaderboards, then no worries! Users can quickly turn this setting off.
On top of the live classes or the on-demand classes, you can pair Hydrow with a heart rate monitor. This can help you keep track of how much energy you’re exerting during your exercises (it will also give you a more accurate count of how many calories you’ve burned).
Within Hydrow’s system, you’ll also be able to check your overall progress. You can click through your history database to see a breakdown of your stats. You can look at individual workouts or see the stats over a specific period to see the amount of progress you’ve made since starting a particular workout program.
If you decide that the subscription isn’t for you after a few months, you can cancel it and still use the Hydrow for your exercise needs; you can’t take advantage of the “smart” aspect of the machine.
RELATED READING: Hydrow vs Peloton
Pros and Cons
The Hydrow is an intuitive piece of machinery that gives you a sense of being on the water. Below are some of the main pros and cons users have highlighted in reviews:
The Pros of Hydrow
- Virtually No Noise – it’s extremely quiet, which means it won’t disrupt other people in your household or make it so you can’t hear your music or the workout.
- Glides seamlessly – you’ll almost feel like you’re on the water with the simplicity of rowing.
- Quickly change resistance – if you find that it’s getting too difficult for you to keep up with the workout due to the resistance you have on or looking for more of a challenge, then quickly shift the resistance.
- Live & On Demand Workouts – with hundreds of live and on-demand classes in the library, you’ll never run out of material or rowing exercises. You can also start programs that will help you track more of your goals.
- Amazing Looking Rower – Everyone’s taste is different, but we’d say the Hydrow is one of the coolest looking rowers we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing.
- Simulates Water Rowing – Not only does the Hydrow rowing machine simulate the feel of rowing on the water, but their live and on demand workouts put you on some of the most scenic waterways around the world. You may be in your living room, but you’ll the transported to a real life water rowing experience once you sit down on your Hydrow.
Hydrow Cons?
While the Hydrow has many pros, the main con it features is that it’s still a rowing machine at the end of the day. Although you can get a fantastic full-body workout, and there are other workouts that the tablet features, like cardio or yoga, but for the most part, you’ll be sticking to rowing. This is perfect for the erg enthusiast but may not be ideal for people who need more variety in their workouts.
Hydrow Price
The Hydrow typically retails for $2,455 (although they sometimes offer a deal where the price drops to $2,245!). This is a similar price range to what Peloton or Nordictrack go for on the market.
RELATED READING: See Current Hydrow Promo Codes
Hydrow Accessories
It also comes with a free Polar heart rate monitor, free Jaybird Tarah pro wireless headphones, a one-year warranty, and access to unlimited profiles on top of the machinery itself.
Many pieces of smart equipment have a cap on the number of profiles you can have, so this is a massive advantage if you have multiple family members who will be using the machine or if you’re sharing it with friends.
You can also be qualified to buy the Hydrow monthly instead of paying for it all upfront. Your monthly payment could be as low as $63 per month.
You can also get the Hydrow shipped to you for free, which is a real perk since a lot of other pieces of workout equipment can cost around $250 to have sent to you.
Risk-Free 30 Day Trial
You can also use the Hydrow risk-free for 30 days. This is a significant advantage if you’re on the fence about whether you want to buy or not. If you love it, keep it.
If you don’t think it’s worth your money, then send it back for free.
Review Summary: Should You Buy a Hydrow?
If you’re someone who loves to row, then the Hydrow is for you. It’ll give you an experience like you’ve never had from a piece of equipment you’ve set up in your at-home gym before. Set it up in your living room, select your workout and location, and feel as if you’re somewhere else entirely as you’re exercising.
The bottom line is that the Hydrow rowing machine is the best buy for fans of indoor rowing. Rowing machines also provide a different experience for people who are used to working out with the same routines and need a change of pace.
Since the Hydrow is a relatively easy machine to use and get started with, even if you’re new to rowing, you don’t need to have any fears about getting into it! Simply pick a program that fits well with your current physical state and make your progress from there. Since you can get a great workout in, you’ll feel stronger in every part of your body as you do more and more indoor rowing.
For expert rowers, the Hydrow is also for you. You’ll feel as if you’re on the water as you row with the smooth makeup that the indoor rowing machine offers. You can also easily switch up the resistance when you’re in the middle of a workout, which will help you better control your strength training programs.
On top of the exercise benefits, this indoor rowing machine won’t take up much room in your home and can easily be stored away whenever you aren’t it. This is a considerable advantage if you live in a small space!
So? What are you waiting for? Give the Hydrow a chance and start working towards your fitness goals:
